1. Grhastha mahatma

    Our business at the present moment in conditioned life, nidraya hriyate naktam. At night we sleep, and vyavayena ca va vayah. Vyavayena means sex. At night our business is to sleep and to indulge in sex. In this way we are wasting time, night. And daytime, diva carthehaya rajan kutumba-bharanena va [SB 2.1.3]. And at the daytime, we are very busy going this side, that side. Why? To get some money, diva ca artha ihaya. Desiring, "Where I shall get money? Where I shall get money?" Diva carthehaya, and as soon as I get money, I spend it, kutumba-bharanena va, to maintain our family. So where is time for Krsna consciousness? There is no time, sir.

    So one should not be interested in that way. Therefore it is said that dehambhara-vartikesu, those who are busy only for maintenance of this body, to such person, he is not interested, na priti-yukta. This is the sign. He…, he may be a grhastha, it does not matter, but he is interested with Krsna's business, not dehambhara-vartikesu. Those who are interested with this body only, with them he has no interest. This is the sign. That is also mahatma. Ye va mayise krta-sauhrdartha. His only business is how to keep friendship with Krsna. That is his only business. Then he is mahatma. And so far janesu, people in general, who are simply interested how to maintain this body, janesu dehambhara-vartikesu… And then what about his family? Yes, grhesu, at home. Jaya, jaya means wife. Jaya atma-ja, atma-ja means children. Grhesu jayatmaja-ratimatsu, and business about earning money, na priti-yukta, he's not interested. Although he is at home, he is not interested at home. Therefore generally devotees, they become very reluctant in the interest of maintaining family, children, wife. Simply as far as possible, duty. So much interested, not any more. These are the signs. If you want to find out a grhastha mahatma, then he has got his family, he has got his children, he has got his wife, he has got his business, he has got to meet so many other people — but they are…, he's not at all interested. Simply behavior, official: "Yes, yes, it is all right. Yes, it is all right. What you say it is all right, but I am not interested." This is called disinterested. People are generally very much interested in these things.

    From Srila Prabhupada's lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.3 — April 15, 1975, Hyderabad